Police arrested journalist Khem Bhandari on Thursday morning after he was convicted in a defamation case.

Police said the arrest was carried out in accordance with verdicts issued by the Kanchanpur District Court and the Mahendranagar bench of the Dipayal High Court, which found him guilty of defamation and damaging reputation in connection with his reporting and social media posts about the rape and murder of 13-year-old Nirmala Panta.

According to Deputy Superintendent of Police Tek Bahadur Raut of the Kanchanpur District Police Office, Bhandari underwent a medical examination following his arrest before being presented before the court for the execution of his sentence.

The case stemmed from Bhandari’s reporting in Manaskhanda Daily and posts on social media concerning the rape and murder of 13-year-old Nirmala Panta, a case that sparked nationwide outrage in Nepal.

Kiran Bista, the son of the then Superintendent of Police Dilli Raj Bista, filed the defamation lawsuit at the Kanchanpur District Court, alleging that Bhandari’s reports and social media posts had damaged his reputation.

On May 15, 2025, the Kanchanpur District Court sentenced Bhandari to one month in prison and imposed a fine of Rs10,000.

The Mahendranagar bench of the Dipayal High Court upheld the district court’s verdict on April 5, 2026, and added a further seven days of imprisonment and a fine of Rs2,100.